on the steps of a Hertz shuttle van
a young man fell
I was close enough to offer
my hand before I realized
his fall was a spasm
and then spittle a confusion
of muscles his artificial leg
twisted off in his pants
all this happened so fast
that Bud the shuttle driver
had no time to prepare
a corporate response
the medics came and a nurse
who calmly turned the man's face
to one side then waited
for the seizure to subside
Bud's supervisor arrived
and praised Bud for staying cool
and took notes for an Incident Report
while the man himself sat
in a wheelchair curbside
blinking his blue eyes
as if he were waking up
from a long nap in the wrong place